As she asked her questions, Percy found he couldn't look her in the eye, instead focusing on a point on the wall behind her.
"I am presuming that your questions are directly related to your attempts to figure out whatever has happened to Miss Clearwater. I warn you, if this is some attempt at a cruel joke on myself or her or anyone else, that I am a man not to be trifled with."
He took in a deep breath and let it out, then spoke again without allowing her an answer.
"She and I were very close once. In some ways, she knew me better than my family. It did not end well." His arms shifted until they were crossed across his chest, almost as if they were protecting him from something hurtful. "I don't know what else you might need to know."